By Anderson Ojwang
The political war against Siaya Governor James Orengo is not about to end anytime soon, as he finds himself being isolated and an object of attack over his opposition to the broad-based government.
During the recent visit to Migori County by President William Ruto, Orengo came under a barrage of attacks led by area governor Dr Ochilo Mbogo Ayacko.
Ayacko told Orengo that the Luo community will not join him in his journey to Wamunyoro (Wamunyoro is the home village of impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua).
“Those who want us to go to Wamunyoro, we are not going there. We are the people of the lake. There is no single day the water has flowed to the mountain.
It requires special pumps, and we do not have those pumps. If the mountain wants us, let them descend to the lake. The mountain can go to the valley and the lake. We climbed the mountain when we were thirsty.
We are not going to the mountain again. Not that we hate them, but we also want them to look at the lake too. Let them look into Rift Valley, Coast and other regions and not themselves alone.
The mountain hardly looks where other Kenyans are,” he said.
Ayacko said it was wrong for a governor to criticise the national government, as they have a mutual relationship to deliver services to the people.
“I want to tell you that when you see a governor criticising a national government, that is idiocy. The constitution is very clear, explicit that the relationship between the national government and county government must be that of mutual respect, cooperation, and working together for the benefit of the people.
So that is why, as Migori governor, I may have individual feelings, but because I am head of government, I would be pained if I were to provoke the national government to criticise my own government.
Imagine if the President came here because I am his incessant critic, to criticise the people of Migori. Because the governor of Migori is also criticising the national government.
That is why, when I was invited to Alliance High School Founders’ Day, Riggy was saying the governors are bad-mannered. I told him no, the people of Migori are demonstrating for their rights. You have not seen me on the streets, but I sympathise with them because I am a Raila Odinga follower.
So do not victimise and invite me to criticise you. Your Excellency, Riggy said that the bad-mannered governors will be frustrated. I am glad MPs led by Junet Mohammed saw the sense and impeached him.
If that person was in your administration, people from some regions with differing political ideology could not have a chance to serve in your administration.
The broad-based arrangement is what nations that are diverse and potentially divided need. All of us, however small the communities you come from, need to feel that the national government identifies with us.
When you and Raila pronounced a broad-based government, you did something that is transformational. Now you can see wherever you go, people can sit together and discuss.
Broad-based government includes people beyond their political, religious, and ethnic inclinations. It is the best arrangement that you are championing.
I want to apologise on behalf of any of my colleagues who are faulting the broad-based government. I want to apologise on behalf of any person doing that.
Ruto is a friend before, during and after the competition. That spirit is also the spirit of Raila Odinga.
Your Excellency, these people love you; continue visiting. We are not looking into another government but your government.
Locally here, they are looking up to my government and your government is their government.
We are working seamlessly with the President. I visited the President in Kilgoris, and after that I led a delegation from Migori to a development meeting with the President. We represented your issues,” he said.
Orengo now finds himself a lone ranger as Siaya Senator Dr Oburu Oginga leads a troupe that is critical of his stand over the broad-based government.
The clock is fast ticking for Orengo as the onslaught on him is likely to gain momentum with time.
Orengo, once a close confidant of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, is fast finding himself an isolated man over his opposition to the broad-based government.
Orengo could be waking up to the sudden reality that ODM and the Odingas have long discarded the hard brunt of politics played in the public gallery and streets, in favour of a more accommodative one.
Orengo could still be stuck in the old age of politics of activism, public gallery and public protests, unaware of what the office of the governor bestows on him in terms of service delivery and accountability to the public.
But Orengo has maintained that he shall speak the truth and is ready to go to jail and join demonstrations against the current government.
“The truth shall make you free and we must have a leadership nationally and continentally that believes in the law. And the truth.
I, James Aggrey Bob Orengo, who believes in the rule of law and I believe in the constitution, trained by the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and I have worked with Raila Amolo Odinga.
I cannot let Kenyans and my community down by not speaking the truth.
I will continue speaking the truth. And if there is anybody who wants to take any action against me, I want to tell them that me, I have been through those trials and tribulations. I am a tested iron bar. I don’t fear anything in this world, I have been through the trenches. Even those who fear night runners, who cannot go out in the night, want to challenge Orengo?
I am prepared to go back to jail. I am prepared to go back to the streets. This is not a country to be proud of. This is a country where the young people, the Gen Z, you have to come out and we are prepared to join you,” he said.
But Oburu, in his response, asked Orengo to ship out and deliver services to the people of Siaya instead of politicking.“Personally, I am a very truthful man and I am pained. I come from Siaya, and when my own governor stands up and says that he is annoyed, I don’t know who he is annoyed by or what he is annoyed about. And he says he just wants to talk about the truth and the truth? What truth? I never lie, I always say the truth.
And the truth of the matter, Your Excellency, is that we are in a broad-based government, not as individual Members of Parliament and not as individual Senators.
We are in this broad-based government as a result of a resolution of our party ODM. And the party signed a ten-point agreement with the UDA government and all of us were there.
Those who are annoyed and who think this broad-based government is not right, they are actually vomiting on us from within. Why don’t you get out and vomit from without?
Because we want our party, ODM, to have a nice smell and we want to move on with our people. And before these agreements were signed, there was a lot of consultation. Raila went round the country as the party leader of ODM, consulting the people.
I therefore want to say, Your Excellency, we are talking for our people. When we are being told we have to talk for our rights, Your Excellency, that is what we are fighting for. That is why we are elected to do the same. The governor is not given a mandate to fight for his people’s rights. He is given a mandate to serve his people.
He is given resources to serve his people. This is the time to serve your people. This is not the time to fight for their rights. Which rights do you want to fight for more than what they eat? What and which right are you fighting for?
Which rights are you fighting for more than the roads, hospitals, water, and electricity which one do you want us to fight for?
Which one do you want us to go to the streets to fight for? If you want to fight, there is a lot of space elsewhere where you can do that fighting. For us, our people are waiting for the service. This is the time to work and we are not waiting to eat the shares of anybody,” he said.
